A Regional Solution

By Amir Zia
The News
Sunday, March 6, 2011

Media of Pakistan and Afghanistan, by working together, can play an important role for better understanding of complex issues

Pakistani media has only a token presence in Afghanistan, while its mainstream print and electronic media organisations none. The Afghan media, which to-date remains commercially unviable, too has no eyes and ears in a country, which undoubtedly is its most important neighbour. The two countries see each other largely through the narrow prism of Western media that remains focused on conflict and the war on terror.

The selective coverage of Western media organisations stems from the fact that they identify, report, analyse and interpret news in line with their yardstick and clients’ need. They do not find it necessary to go for intricate details and cover those areas which are important for Pakistanis and Afghans because of their geographical proximity and huge political and economic stakes.

No wonder, the news that Pakistanis and Afghans get about one another is not only narrow in scope but often reflects biases and prejudices of a small coterie of political players. Therefore, stereotype images and negative perceptions are common, which weigh heavily on relations of the two countries. The depth of relations between the people of these two countries spanning over centuries, their common interests, problems and issues in the conflict-ridden world of today and the potential economic and political gains, which close cooperation and peace will bring them, remain ignored in the mainstream media of the two countries.

Can this situation change? If Pakistani and Afghan journalists are allowed more exposure to each other’s countries, will it help transform some of the negative perceptions that plague Pakistan-Afghanistan relations today? Will in-depth and independent media coverage assist in conflict resolution, help in deciding common goals and bring the people of the two countries closer? There is only a one word answer to these questions -- a big yes.

The task may appear daunting but remains doable. A small, but important step to bring journalists of the two countries closer and establish direct communication bridges has been initiated through a two-day Afghanistan and Pakistan media dialogue held in Kabul last month. The February 21-22 launch conference was organised jointly by Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS), the International Media Support Group Denmark and the Killid Group Afghanistan. The programme has been supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The conference was the start of a three-year programme that aims to improve Pakistan-Afghan media ties, help train journalists and improve reporting quality on regional issues to promote relations and better understanding between the two countries.

A handful of key Pakistani journalists had extensive deliberations with Afghan media personnel and intellectuals focusing on a wide-range of issues -- from the need for cooperation between the media persons to impediments that could mar this initiative and safety of journalists to the issue of professionalism and capacity-building.

The consensus was that strengthening relations between journalists and media organisations will help curb erroneous and unbalanced coverage as well as promote a better understanding towards mutual problems and disputes and act as a catalyst for their resolution between the two countries.

This first initiative of its kind plans to provide training opportunities and facilitate bilateral cooperation to cover complex cross-border issues. At the end of the conference, a 12-member advisory board -- comprising six journalists each from the two countries -- was formed to assist in taking this programme forward. One of the interesting aspects of the initiative includes the plan of 21 joint investigations and exchanges of journalists over the next 18 months, which will produce a number of stories, aired programmes and what the organisers described as a “visibly enhanced coverage” of the complex regional issues.

Both during the official discussions and on the sidelines of the conference, many Afghan journalists and intellectual appear skeptical and bitter about Pakistan’s role in the simmering Afghan conflict – especially Islamabad will to take on the Taliban militants. Islamabad’s past strategy of supporting one group against the other or picking favourites also came under the spotlight. From the Pakistan side, participants underlined the fact that their country suffers no less from the twin trouble of extremism and terrorism, which have claimed thousands of lives from one end of the country to the other. The often aggressive tone of President Hamid Karzai and his top aides against Pakistan does not help the cause of a united front against the Taliban and al-Qaeda linked militants. The participants initially delicately avoided taking up key issues bedeviling relations between the two countries, but some also took the bull by its horn – underlining the overall spirit of understanding one another and the desire to work together.

The small step starting with less than two dozen Pakistani journalists and peace activists and handful of their Afghan counterparts could go a long way in improving ties between the two countries, which have no rational choice available to them other than to cooperate for a better future of their people. Expanding this prorgamme and including more and more journalists and institutions would remain pivotal for its success.

Pakistan’s mainstream media organisations, which have both financial and human resources available, should take a lead from this initiative by joining hands or going for a solo-flight with an Afghan counterpart to report the Afghan independently and comprehensively, which remains vital for the country’s interest. The more such bridges the better.

There already has been such a landmark Aman Ki Asha initiative jointly launched by Pakistan’s Jang Group and the Times of India Group for the promotion of better ties between the two South Asian nuclear armed rivals. This civil society movement has completed a year and has many successful conferences and programmes to its credit, generating an alternate discourse for peace and stability in the region.

Luckily Pakistan and Afghanistan, despite all the mistrust and finger-pointing at each other, do not share a history of hostilities and bitterness, which exist between Pakistan and India. But the main challenges and problems faced by Islamabad and Kabul stem from the same roots of extremism and terrorism. The media of the two countries through independent and in-depth coverage can indeed play an important role for the better understanding of issues and painting a factual picture that will help in improving the relations between the two countries. A united front of the media has so far remained the missing link in efforts to bring the two nations closer. Now there appears hope that this link is being established amidst high hopes.